Point-to-point enforcement is a relatively
new technological approach to
traffic law enforcement that has been
implemented or piloted in a number of
countries. It is primarily used to monitor
compliance with posted speed limits.

Point-to-point speed enforcement
measures the average speed of vehicles
passing a series of cameras by using
automatic number plate recognition
(ANPR), optical character recognition
(OCR) and other technologies. Through
a series of cameras installed at multiple
locations along a road section, the
system captures an image and registration
data of each vehicle as it enters the
system and at subsequent camera sites.
It calculates the average vehicle speed,
and if this speed exceeds the legal posted
speed limit (beyond a pre-determined
threshold) for that road section, data are
transmitted to a central processing unit.

While the system can be fully automated,
most involve some degree
of human verification to evaluate the
validity of detected violations. Validated
offenders are issued an infringement
notice, and data on non-offending
vehicles are typically erased.

This report details the various technologies
and equipment used in
point-to-point speed enforcement
operations. The report also summarizes
the evaluations of point-to-point speed
enforcement systems in the United
Kingdom, the Netherlands, Austria, Italy
and France. It highlights a number of
positive findings associated with pointto-
point speed enforcement, including:
substantial reductions in mean and 85th
percentile speeds; exceptional rates of
compliance with posted speed limits;
reductions in all types of crashes; more
homogenized traffic flow; and increased
traffic capacity resulting from reduced
vehicle speed variability and subsequent
increased headway. Although the
system can be expensive, a number of
cost-benefit analyses have demonstrated
long term net economic benefits.